{"id":19423,"date":"2010-06-02T22:09:12","date_gmt":"2010-06-02T20:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turkishforum.com.tr\/en\/content\/2010\/06\/02\/the-milli-gorus-connection\/"},"modified":"2023-04-04T20:06:42","modified_gmt":"2023-04-04T17:06:42","slug":"the-milli-gorus-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/2010\/06\/02\/the-milli-gorus-connection\/","title":{"rendered":"The Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs Connection"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/h1>\n
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Gates of Vienna 2 June 2010
\nBy Baron Bodissey<\/p>\n

The world is aghast at what Israel did early this morning off the coast of Gaza. It is shocked \u2014 shocked! \u2014 at the indiscriminate slaughter of \u201cunarmed civilians\u201d in the Free Gaza Flotilla.<\/p>\n

According to AKI, the Italian foreign minister is outraged:<\/p>\n

\u201cI strongly condemn the killing of civilians<\/strong>,\u201d Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini said Monday in response to the incident. The Italian government asked the Israeli ambassador in Rome for an explanation about the attack. [emphasis added]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And the Turkish foreign ministry condemned Israel\u2019s actions:<\/p>\n

\u201cIsrael has once again clearly demonstrated that it does not value human lives and peaceful initiatives through targeting innocent civilians<\/strong>,\u201d the statement said. [emphasis added]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Leaving aside for the moment the adjectives \u201cinnocent\u201d and \u201cunarmed\u201d modifying the word \u201ccivilians\u201d \u2014 how civilian were<\/em> the operatives who attempted to run the blockade into Gaza?<\/p>\n

The Israeli government insists that the organizers of the flotilla were no more \u201ccivilian\u201d than terrorists are:<\/p>\n

Deputy Israeli foreign minister Danny Ayalon on Monday sought to justify an attack on an aid flotilla bringing supplies to Gaza by saying the organisers of the blockade-breaking effort had ties to international terrorists\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWe couldn\u2019t allow the opening of a corridor of smuggling arms and terrorists,\u201d Ayalon said during a news conference at the foreign ministry.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But what were the specific connections between \u201cFree Gaza\u201d and Islamic terrorism?<\/p>\n

Our Flemish correspondent VH has answered this question for us: the trail of breadcrumbs leads back to the militant Turkish Islamic organization Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs. Many thanks to VH for compiling the following report based on English-language articles and material translated from the Dutch:<\/p>\n

First, from Trouw<\/em><\/span>:<\/p>\n

Turkish organization IHH linked to extremism<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Turkish organization IHH, also known as \u201cFoundation for Human Rights and Freedom and Humanitarian Relief\u201d [its German sister organization is \u201cInternationale Humanit\u00e4re Hilfsorganisation\u201d, and the Dutch branch is \u201cInternationale Humanitaire Hulporganisatie\u201d], is an international Turkish NGO operating in over a hundred countries and enjoying consultative membership status in the United Nations Economic and Social Council, which was present at one of the ships in \u201caid convoy\u201d to Gaza, has two faces: a relief organization and friend of extremists. In Turkey the organization primarily enjoys support from \u201cconservative\u201d Muslims.<\/p>\n

Founded in 1992, IHH was one of the largest aid agencies, active in Turkey and worldwide. Early this year they offered assistance to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. On the other hand, IHH is not secretive about its ties with the strict Islamic movement Hamas, which holds power in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n

IHH supports Hamas financially. The support is further evidenced by, among other things, exhibitions, information briefings, and the publication of books on the situation in Gaza (and not the problems in other Palestinian areas). The ship that sailed in the convoy to Gaza departed last week from Antalya on the Turkey\u2019s southern coast, brings both faces together.<\/p>\n

In the late nineties there was a criminal investigation in Turkey against IHH. The organization was suspected of involvement in supplying arms to Muslim terrorists. That did not lead to a ban of the organization. During disaster relief in Turkey itself, such as earthquakes, the IHH has indeed been kept at a distance ever since.<\/p>\n

Last year, the PVV [Party for Freedom] in the Netherlands, asked parliamentary questions<\/span> [Dutch language, pdf] on financial aid by the Turkish Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs and IHH to Hamas. The Minister of integration, Van der Laan [PvdA, Labour Party, Socialists] replied that there was no evidence that Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs and the Dutch branch of IHH were involved in \u201csupport for Hamas in favor of facilitating terrorism.\u201d[1]<\/sup><\/span>
\nAnd from Elsevier<\/em><\/span>:<\/p>\n

Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs chairpersons involved in support of Hamas<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Robbert de Witt<\/em><\/p>\n

Several chairpersons of the Turkish Islamic organization Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs work closely together with a German foundation that supported the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, as newspaper \u201cDe Telegraaf\u201d writes.<\/p>\n

The Turkish mosque association \u201cMilli G\u00f6r\u00fcs\u201d was one of the organizers of the demonstration against Israel, in which SP MP Harry van Bommel and Gretta Duisenberg called together the Palestinians for an intifada against Israel.<\/p>\n

As the newspaper states, two directors of Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs Amsterdam are also board members of the Foundation for International Humanitarian Aid, which works closely with the German Internationale Humanit\u00e4re Hilfsorganisation (IHH<\/span>).<\/p>\n

According to Israel, the IHH is part of a network of organizations that fund Hamas. The Israeli Defense Ministry has banned IHH for that reason. Also in America the network of organizations \u2014 the Union of Good<\/span> [link to Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Union of Good: an umbrella organization comprised of more than 50 Islamic charitable funds and foundations worldwide. It in fact channels \u2018charity\u2019 money and provides other items for Hamas-affiliated institutions in the Palestinian Authority-administered territories, contributing to sustaining the support-system infrastructure of Palestinian terrorism through the so-called financial jihad,\u201d and shows \u201cPart of a Union of Good (UG) table of shahids,<\/em> including suicide bombers in Israeli cities.\u201d] \u2014 is placed on the list of terrorist organizations.<\/p>\n

Leader of the Union of Good is Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who is the ideologue of the Muslim Brotherhood, and also a source of inspiration to the Dutch PvdA [Labour Party, Socialists] candidate for Parliament, Ahmed Marcouch. In 2005 Marcouch and Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs tried to invite the controversial<\/span> sheikh to the Netherlands [following the murder of Theo van Gogh, to help \u201cbuild bridges\u201d].<\/p>\n

In De Telegraaf<\/em> Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs denies[2]<\/sup><\/span> that it has any links with the German IHH. Also, the Dutch IHH would not transfer money to Hamas. In September 2008 an analysis of the Regional Intelligence Service showed that Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs has ties<\/span> with financiers of terrorism and extremism. According to an intelligence report, the German director Ibrahim El-Zayat is a representative of the extremist Muslim Brotherhood.<\/p>\n

Earlier on, the Dutch Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs Chairman Fatih Dag came into disrepute when he threatened<\/span> riots by Muslims if the construction of the controversial Wester Mosque in Amsterdam failed to go through.<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1]<\/strong> 2163<\/p>\n

Questions from members Fritsma and Wilders (both PVV) to the Minister for Housing, Communities and Integration on the news that Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs financial supports the terrorist organization Hamas (Submitted January 15, 2009)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
1.<\/td>\n<\/td>\nAre you aware of the report \u201cMilli G\u00f6r\u00fcs indirectly supports Hamas?[2]<\/sup><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2.<\/td>\n<\/td>\nWhat is your assessment of the fact that the directors of the very large (in the Netherlands) Islamic organization Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs are active in the \u201cInternationale Humanitaire Hulporganisatie\u201d [international humanitarian relief organization] (IHH), which (according to Israel and the U.S.) financially supports the Hamas terror organization?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3.<\/td>\n<\/td>\nDo you agree that this is unacceptable, since it is clear that Hamas is bent on the destruction of Israel and has willfully murdered many innocent Israeli civilians? If not, why not?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4.<\/td>\n<\/td>\nAre you prepared, just as Israel and the U.S. have done, to ban the foundation IHH, which is part of the dangerous \u201cUnion of Good\u201d?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5.<\/td>\n<\/td>\nWhat steps are being taken against the relevant directors of Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs, who are active in the foundation IHH?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6.<\/td>\n<\/td>\nAre you prepared to cut all ties with Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs now that leaders of this organization (indirectly) support Islamic terrorists?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7.<\/td>\n<\/td>\nDoes Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs (still) receive a subsidy? If so, are you willing to put a hold on it? If not, why not?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
\nReply from Minister Van der Laan (Housing and Integration), also on behalf of the Ministers of Interior and Kingdom Relations and Justice (received April 1, 2009). See also Appendix to Proceedings, session 2008-2009, No 1522<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
1.<\/td>\n<\/td>\nYes.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2.<\/td>\n<\/td>\nThe AIVD [Dutch Intelligence Service] does not currently have any indication that Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs in the Netherlands is involved in serious radicalization and terrorism, nor that Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs or the IHH Foundation in the Netherlands is involved financial support for Hamas in favor of facilitating terrorism.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3.<\/td>\n<\/td>\nSee answer to question 2.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4.<\/td>\n<\/td>\nThere is no reason to, see answer to question 2.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5.<\/td>\n<\/td>\nNo, see answer to question 2.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6.<\/td>\n<\/td>\nNo, see answer to question 2.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7.<\/td>\n<\/td>\nUnder integration policy, Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs no longer receives subsidies. The organization previously received financial support for four subprojects to address integration-related problems. The two most recently funded sub-projects were completed in 2008.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
\n[2]<\/strong> De Telegraaf,<\/em> 9 January 2009.<\/p>\n

Additional material on Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs:<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the beginning of the 1970\u2019s, the decision of the Turkish Constitutional Council to outlaw Rafah, an Islamist political party directed by Necmettin Erbakan, encouraged a number of its members to create Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs, meaning \u201cnationalist view\u201d in Turkish (and named after the manifesto by Necmettin Erbakan of 1975, in which he promoted the political Islam and was opposed to rapprochement with Europe], which since 1995 has called itself \u201cThe Islamic Community of Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs [IGMG]\u201d). One of the principal founders was the former Prime Minister of Turkey, Necmettin Erbakan, who was forced out of power in 1997 by the Turkish military and found too radical by the Turkish constitutional court.<\/p>\n

This organization was initially based in Germany and France, but soon spread over the whole of Europe via the Turkish diaspora. The article \u201cMilli G\u00f6r\u00fcs, wolves in sheep\u2019s clothing,\u201d states<\/span>: \u201cThe Islamic Association of Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs is Europe\u2019s largest \u2018radical\u2019 Islamic religious association, monitored [in Germany] by the Office of the Protection of the Constitution\u201d.<\/em> In Germany, for instance, they helped a Turkish immigrant family who did not want their children \u201cto learn poems that describe Christian traditions\u201d and refused to let them join swimming lessons and children\u2019s birthday parties as a part of their battle against school authorities and their demand to enforce Islamic rules in school.<\/p>\n

When the French branch decided to \u201cplace emphasis on the Europeanization\u201d of their political identity, a schism on this issue caused the founding of the Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs offshoots COJEP (Coordination des jeunes patriotes<\/em>) and from that LICEP (Cojep League of Popular Education), which both lobby for Turkey\u2019s accession to the EU. That the \u201cschism\u201d and offshoots are cosmetic is not only shown by their cooperation and share of the cojep.com domain, but even more in their having a shared frontman of the \u201cFederation LICEP-COJEP\u201d, General President Muhammed \u00c7avus.<\/p>\n

On its website<\/span> today, COJEP states it is \u201claunching an urgent appeal to the world community, governments, solidarity organizations and NGOs working against anti-Semitism to voice their strongest condemnation against the barbaric attacks by Israeli commandoes on unarmed flotilla of boats going to Gaza with 700 passengers and ten thousands tons of relief supplies including food and medicine,\u201d and threatens: \u201cWe also know that an unfortunate side effect of this cowardly action would be an increase in primitive anti-Semitic excesses throughout the world and especially in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the German Protection of the Constitution office, the IGMG in its ideology states the \u201cthe Western social order, democracy, human rights, and rights of equality and freedom are worth nothing.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

An internal memo from Milli G\u00f6r\u00fcs, discovered by the German Interior Ministry in 1999, reads: \u201cThe Community (i.e. the Turkish community) is a means working for an end \u2014 the end being to Islamize (German) society.<\/strong>\u201d [\u2026] \u201cMilli G\u00f6r\u00fcs is a shield that protects our compatriots from European barbarity.<\/strong>\u201d [\u2026] \u201cDemocracy is a Western error.<\/strong>\u201d (source)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gates of Vienna 2 June 2010 By Baron Bodissey The world is aghast at what Israel did early this morning off the coast of Gaza. It is shocked \u2014 shocked! \u2014 at the indiscriminate slaughter of \u201cunarmed civilians\u201d in the Free Gaza Flotilla. According to AKI, the Italian foreign minister is outraged: \u201cI strongly condemn […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":782149,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[156],"class_list":["post-19423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-un"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19423\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/782149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}